


The Ember Island Players Present "The First Avatar"

by Mendeia



Series: Tales from Gundam Island [7]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Creative Reinterpretation of the Truth, Gen, Play within a Play, Really Corny Acting, This Is Why Nobody Wants To Have A Movie Made About Their Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 08:59:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2223132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mendeia/pseuds/Mendeia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They passed under a colorful sign that spanned the path to the playhouse. It read:  The Ember Island Players Present – The First Avatar</p>
<p>In smaller writing at the bottom of the sign it stated, "An interpretation based on the true story as told by Avatar Gundam Quatre Raberba."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Ember Island Players Present "The First Avatar"

**Author's Note:**

> Well, we have arrived. My beta pointed out recently that, other than 2 weeks late last December where I was catching up on some old TMNT stuff, I have been exclusively posting Gundam Wing fic every week or even twice a week since November 2012. It's been an amazing journey through the fandom and I've enjoyed it immensely. As stated last week, I'm going to let my Gundam Wing brain rest for a while and focus on other things. Believe it or not, I've been writing non-stop since last year, and I've got more than 400,000 words of other fic ready and waiting to be posted throughout the end of this year and the entirety of 2015 (and I anticipate adding another 80,000 soon). I'll be bouncing around, spending a lot of time on a TMNT project that's very close to my heart, a few random oneshots, and then a year-long foray for 2015 into the epic and legendary fandom of The Sentinel.
> 
> But for now, I leave you with maybe one of my favorite oneshots I've ever written. I knew this oneshot was going to happen from the time I wrote the first couple of thousand words on Tears of Revelry. And I am really, really happy with how it came out.
> 
> (Reminder that this is my version of the origin of the Avatar, not what is told in Korra. Also, props to anybody who spots my numerous little tricks of names in the play – I had some fun with them. Additionally, I borrowed a particular framing device from the first play I ever worked on as assistant stage manager, and a metaphysical cookie to you if you can name it!)
> 
> This is dedicated to all of you who have come to love the TOR universe right beside me. You are few, but mighty, and even though I am the worst person ever at responding to notes and reviews and messages, I have read everything you've sent me and it has held me up and driven me to always improve. And remember – if you have a brilliant idea for a oneshot or a sequel, let me know!
> 
> I hope you stick around with me as I move to new projects, and when the time comes that Gundam Wing calls my name sometime in the future, I hope to see you around the fire once again for a new tale of adventure and friendship. Thank you, all of you, for your support and encouragement and interest and kindness.
> 
> Enjoy!

"I'm not sure this is such a good idea," Quatre said with a worried expression.

"Come on, OwlCat! It'll be great!" Duo urged, practically pulling his friend along.

"I agree with Quatre," Wufei frowned. "We could at least wait for another night."

"But the theater manager gave us a special box," Trowa said. "And those are not inexpensive. If the troupe gets a better draw on opening night because of our presence, it would help them a lot. It's our duty."

"Being the Avatar does not imply we are personally responsible for ensuring the economic or cultural success of an acting group!" Heero said dourly.

"Maybe not," Duo shrugged, "but the Ember Island Players are good friends with Trowa's circus family, and we _do_ take care of our families."

At Quatre's sigh, Duo did a little victory dance. It was a low blow for sure given that Quatre and Trowa were the only two of the Avatars to have any they at all considered family alive, but when it came to winning arguments against the Gundam tactician, Duo would use any advantage he could get. Besides, he couldn't wait to see the show!

They passed under a colorful sign that spanned the path to the playhouse. It read:

_The Ember Island Players Present – The First Avatar_

In smaller writing at the bottom of the sign it stated, "An interpretation based on the true story as told by Avatar Gundam Quatre Raberba."

"You've been holding out on us," Trowa said slyly. Quatre's face was very red as he glanced quickly away from the sign.

"When exactly did you have time to research the story of the first Avatar?" Heero wanted to know.

Quatre coughed awkwardly. "Well, I didn't, exactly…um."

"You already _know_ the true story of the Avatar," Wufei said with keen insight. At Quatre's nod, he tipped his head questioningly. "Why have you never told it to us?"

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Quatre sighed, defeated. "I wanted to present you all with a copy of it for our birthday. But when I was at the calligrapher to have it done professionally, the script-writer for the Players was in picking up their spring show copies and he saw it and…"

Duo laughed and ruffled the golden hair cheerfully. He moved around the main entrance and back along the building's perimeter – the Gundams had been invited to arrive early and enter in secret to avoid the crowds. Apparently in the week between the invitation and this opening night, Duo had make himself familiar with the whole building and everybody inside it; he unerringly led the way to the theater's side-door that was usually standing open, breezed past the woman standing guard, and waved cheerfully to the various actors and stagehands and musicians racing around frantically.

"Don't worry about the surprise," Trowa whispered to Quatre as they passed the wide prop table and eyed the various items to be used in the show. "If this is anything like their other interpretations, it won't be even remotely similar to the story you wrote for us."

"Oh, thanks ever so," Quatre rolled his eyes. "I feel _much_ better now."

The Gundam Avatars made their way to the private viewing box near the stage, some taking their seats with trepidation or at least impatient acceptance, Duo with wanton joy. The stage manager found them there shortly thereafter, and he chatted eagerly with Duo about the waterbender's ideas to enhance certain special effects for the performance. The more Duo's glee grew, the more the others began to wonder if this really was such a good idea.

Then people began entering and taking their own seats. The first to catch sight of the renowned Avatars set up a cry that echoed through the house with every new member of the audience to find such unexpected company present. Included in that audience were some old friends as well – Sally, Noin, Hilde, Howard, Sada, and Rashid and a few Maganacs had all made a point to be present for what was an undoubtedly intriguing prospect.

But Quatre's attention was not on the people coming down the aisles and finding their seats. Instead, it was on an elderly woman who sat calmly on the edge of the stage. Her long, white hair was braided simply down her back, the braid seeming to vanish in the folds of her pale over-cloak. She looked frail in a way that made him want to go down and sit with her, or maybe gently support her to wherever her seat was meant to be.

The house lights were extinguished and there was only darkness. Then a voice began to speak.

"In the time before the Avatar, there was no firebending, no airbending, no waterbending, and no earthbending. And there were no nations. There were only the people trying to survive. This taught them to have very strong spirits."

A single light illuminated the old woman standing in the center of the stage in front of the curtain.

"The Avatar was born from that strength, as were all benders as we know them today."

The curtain began to rise, the Narrator moving to one side and standing, tall and proud, at the very edge of the stage as if she were not quite a part of the show, and yet not quite a part of the audience either.

The set showed a humble village in a nondescript part of the world – somewhere vaguely lush with mountains in the background. People were going about their daily tasks, greeting one another soundlessly as they mimed simple chores. Notably, the people wore primarily greys and browns and other neutral colors, not the colors that tended to dominate the nations.

"Good morning Daya!" called a young woman with long plaited brown hair as she entered the scene.

"Good morning Ketto," replied another young woman, this one with shorter black hair. "Have you seen Sero yet today?"

"He is calling for a meeting of the village," entered a third young woman. She was lanky and almost boyish.

"Do you know what is going on, Tiata?" Daya asked.

"No, but we must find the others or we will be late," Tiata said, and the three began to pantomime seeking through the scene.

"Aidu! La Jin! Where are you?" Ketto shouted with overly cheery interest.

"We are here," replied a shorter young woman with her black hair swept away from her face in an elaborate style. "La Jin and I were just on our way. Stop yelling."

"Aidu, you don't need to be so mean," La Jin said gently. She was small and very pale with nearly white hair. They approached and the five girls began to speak dramatically about their lives in this quaint village where all people were alike – _mostly_.

:: _Does she remind you of somebody?_ :: Duo's internal communication was whispered into the minds of the other Gundams. It was not entirely composed of words – rather, it was the overall sense and impression of Duo's thoughts projected through their connected spirit to the others.

:: _They all do_ ,:: Heero commented back. :: _Is that intentional?_ ::

:: _It's not anywhere in the story I told_ ,:: Quatre said with a hint of annoyance, :: _but it makes sense. They want to model these girls after us to make it easier for their audience to make the connection_.::

:: _Well, they have failed so far_ ,:: Wufei was derisive. :: _That girl is not nearly irritating enough to resemble Duo_.::

:: _You will miss something,_ :: Trowa admonished. But through their link, they could feel his amusement was much brighter than any annoyance.

Now the whole village had gathered around a hut that had been brought into the center of the stage, and from it a tall man emerged. He bore a striking resemblance to Earth King Noventa, actually. He spread his arms broadly.

"My people! I, Chief and leader Sero, have called you here today to announce that our village has been blessed. As you all know, there are some children born who can touch the world and bring changes like those a spirit might cause. They are the Spirit-Touched, beloved of the world. To have them in a village is to ensure good luck. Today, it is my honor to tell you I have foreseen that we have five such Spirit-Touched children!"

Everyone reacted with intense shock and awe. Sero gestured to the five girls at one side.

"Daya, Ketto, Tiata, La Jin, and Aidu are all Spirit-Touched, and by them may we all be greatly blessed!"

:: _Are you sure this is a story about the first Avatar and not about us?_ :: Heero wanted to know.

:: _I'm sure,_ :: Quatre answered. :: _The five girls weren't all born on the same day like we were. They were just close in age. They'd grown up together._ ::

The background shifted to night as lights lowered and most of the villagers disappeared, leaving the five girls alone on stage under a scene of stars against the mountains.

"To be Spirit-Touched is not dishonorable," Aidu said, "but it is not useful, either. I would rather we all be exceptionally strong or gifted in wisdom."

"Speak for yourself," Ketto grinned brightly, earning laughter from the audience.

"There must be some use for being Spirit-Touched," Daya said, crossing her arms. "It cannot be for nothing!"

"Perhaps we will learn more as we grow older," La Jin suggested quietly.

"Look!" Tiata pointed.

The backdrop began to glow oddly. Suddenly a figure in black, meant to be invisible to the audience, appeared, firebending an explosion against the mountain range.

"The Vaatu mountain is burning!" Daya cried with horror.

"We must warn the village!" Ketto yelled. "Everyone will die!"

The five girls began to race around, frightened villagers appearing and disappearing between the huts and behind the curtains. A broad, almost glowing length of material began to spill from near the burning "mountain" as lava. When it touched the first hut, there was a tremendous explosion – a real one.

:: _I assume that was your idea,_ :: Trowa asked Duo archly.

:: _Yep! Originally it was just a bunch of ribbons or something. I told them that since they had a firebender anyway they could just put something flammable in a jar and the firebender could light it and control the blast._ ::

:: _I'm so pleased you to decided to make this performance more...realistic,_ :: Heero's inner opinion carried a small sardonic twist.

The smoke from the explosion cleared and showed that the village was in a terrible ruin. Most of the villagers were clinging to one another sobbing loudly. In the center, the five girls stood shoulder-to-shoulder.

"We should have done something," Daya said shortly.

"What could we do?" Ketto asked. "We're Spirit-Touched. We can't change anything that happens in this world. We just keep the spirits happy."

"Maybe we should go on a journey to find out if that's the only use of our powers," Tiata suggested.

"I agree," La Jin said.

"Okay," Aidu nodded sharply and led the way off stage.

The sobbing and wailing of the suffering villagers quieted instantly – though they continued to act as though they were fully grieving – while the Narrator, present through all this but motionless on one side, returned to the center of the stage.

"The five girls journeyed for many months in the hope that they might find one wise enough to teach them to use their strong spirits and gifts to save their people."

:: _That makes no sense,_ :: Wufei was irritated. :: _If they'd been gone for months, there would be nobody and nothing left to save!_ ::

:: _You really expected a logical story after the hut exploded?_ :: Trowa replied archly.

Wufei's response wasn't even remotely verbal, but it felt like a strong huff.

The scene shifted rapidly while the girls walked in place, simulating a long journey. At last, the entire background was filled with an enormous brown face.

"Who are you to seek me out?" rumbled a deep, low voice accompanied by a sound like thunder.

"We are Spirit-Touched and we have come to learn if there is something we may be able to do to help our people," Daya said strongly.

"And what help do you think I may offer you?" the voice inquired.

"You're big," La Jin said suddenly. "You must know a lot about spirits. Can't you help us?"

"Very well," the giant face agreed. "I am Raava, an ancient lionturtle."

:: _Wait. No. This is unacceptable. 'You're big' is not an appropriate argument. Quatre, the one that's supposed to be you is stupid!_ :: Heero raged.

:: _Yeah, and you're stomping around like you're squishing fire ants with every step!_ :: Duo returned cheerfully. :: _Trowa's had, what, two lines? And Wufei's going to hurt something with that stick up her, um, shirt. The only good one is me!_ ::

:: _He's kind of right,_ :: Trowa admitted.

:: _I wonder if this is how Avatar Aang felt watching that awful short-run show about him that was really Fire Nation propaganda,_ :: Quatre winced. :: _Remind me to ask him if we ever meet him in meditation._ ::

On stage, the giant face was giving the five girls a series of completely nonsensical instructions, almost as if he were leading them through the steps of a truly silly dance. Daya crashed into Aidu and they began to fight until La Jin separated them. Ketto began ignoring the instructions and bouncing around willfully until Raava roared so loud the whole theater shook. Tiata seemed to do a lot of leaning around not participating.

"This is stupid!" Aidu yelled. "I'd rather fight you than listen to you anymore!" She took a stance to punch Raava, but when her arm lashed forward, a bright streamer of red appeared.

"How did you do that?" Ketto was awed.

"Your energies have fused with one of the four elements," Raava said. "Under my careful instruction, you will be able to manipulate flame with your will alone."

"Can we all do that?" Daya asked tensely.

"You must find it in yourself," Raava said smugly.

While Aidu pranced around the stage gleefully throwing red streamers, the other four girls adopted serious thinking poses. A few moments later, Daya produced a rock to throw, which Tiata blocked with a streamer of white-blue. Ketto began to cry loudly, until as she covered her face with her hands a long bolt of blue material unraveled, demonstrating her command over water.

"You have all surpassed the gift of the Spirit-Touched," Raava proclaimed. "You are now benders. You must go forth and teach firebending, airbending, earthbending, and waterbending to your people."

"What about me?" La Jin asked in a small, scared tone.

"You are still a Spirit-Touched soul, but you alone will be able to change other Spirit-Touched people to benders as I have done for your friends. Go forth and unleash the power within all those who seek it!"

"Let's go home!" Aidu said, pointing out into the audience. "We have a village to save!"

The curtain fell to the applause at the end of the first act.

"Quatre, that's not really how it happened, is it?" Duo asked at once. "The first waterbender wasn't last and she didn't find it by _crying_ , did she?"

Quatre was torn between laughing and groaning. He buried his head in his hands. "No, that was...silly."

"So what really happened?" Trowa asked earnestly.

"First of all, they've simplified this down a lot. The girls were all from the same village, and there was a volcano or something, but there's a whole other part to the story that has to do with how human habitation was getting too crowded overall and there were a lot of battles between warring city-states and other political entities. Also, the quest took many generations. The girls set out together, but they all married and had children to whom they passed the quest down the line. It just happened that their descendents all happened to have girl children at the same time, so they revived the names of their family matriarchs out of respect, and it was _those_ girls who discovered bending."

"I'm hearing a lot of blah-blah-blah," Duo complained impishly. "Tell us about the bending!"

"Well," Quatre smiled, "they really did find a lionturtle. Maybe the same one I knew as a child – I don't know for sure. He never told me his name, so I think they might have made that part up."

"Raava is the name of the script-writer's mom, and Vaatu is his wife's mother," Trowa put in. When they all looked at him in surprise, he shrugged. "Remember, I actually know this troupe. Not well, but well enough. The stories about Vaatu's temper are legendary even at the circus."

"Anyway," Quatre continued, "they learned from the lionturtle that energybending could be adjusted the way Duo adjusts his chi, but permanently, giving a person control over a single element."

"Yeah, but who was first?" Duo almost whined. Heero grabbed his braid and tugged, hiding a smile.

"Technically, La Jin, because she was their best energybender." Quatre grinned. "She and Tiata together discovered airbending. Then Ketto became a waterbender. After that, it was Daya who learned earthbending before Aidu finally created firebending." He coughed awkwardly.

"If you say a single word..." Wufei threatened.

"Don't have to!" Duo's grin was wide and bright.

"Do not take it out on him that your own legacy was the slowest," Heero said slyly.

"Don't start an insult you cannot follow up with a duel!" Wufei got red in the face.

The three of them began something of a verbal and sometimes physical altercation while Trowa slipped around to Quatre's side. "Why did they do it the other way around in the play?"

"They're still Fire Nation," Quatre shrugged. "I don't think Wufei is the only one with pride issues."

"I heard that!" Wufei growled.

They were all saved by the flickering lights indicating that the second act was about to start. The five Avatar Gundams got back into their seats (Heero having to right his after Duo and Wufei had sent it tipping backwards in their scuffle) and turned towards the stage. Once more, the Narrator appeared after the audience quieted.

"Thus the first benders and their Spirit-Touched sister returned to their people to spread their knowledge and their gifts."

The curtain rose over the village, looking just as it had in the first act before the volcano. The people were still going about their regular tasks in mimed quiet. The five girls entered the scene.

"We have returned," Daya stated simply.

When no one looked up immediately, Aidu gave a loud cry and let loose a thick bolt of red cloth, sending it sailing all the way across the stage. Everyone in the village stopped and looked up in awe.

"We have gained the powers of firebending, airbending, waterbending, and earthbending," La Jin said. "We return to protect you and to guide you in the ways of bending."

"How do we become benders?" bellowed a small child who seemed unable to focus on being in the scene and instead stood with his toes on the very edge of the stage, grinning out at the audience.

"I must unleash the power within you," La Jin answered.

She began twirling around the stage, now and again pausing to tap a person on the head. As soon as she made contact, the person would begin leaping about in something resembling a bending form, throwing ribbons or rocks.

:: _There's no way it was that easy,_ :: Duo complained.

:: _No, it took many days of meditation and energybending for each person, and that was only after a complicated process of assessment to figure out if a person even had the inborn ability to bend at all and, if so, which element,_ :: Quatre answered.

:: _Didn't they say in Act 1 that only energybenders could become elemental benders?_ :: Heero asked.

Wufei snorted. :: _Then a great deal more people are now Spirit-Touched than they were previously._ ::

:: _I told you this happened over many generations,_ :: Quatre sighed. :: _Also, it wasn't random. It was energybenders, yes, but also any of their children or parents, even if they hadn't shown signs of energybending previously. If there was an energybender anywhere in the family line, there was a chance that an elemental bending would result._ ::

:: _Makes sense,_ :: Trowa put in. :: _Bending is hereditary, after all._ ::

Back on stage, the sheer number of people dancing around flinging their elemental representations every which way became chaotic and frenetic. The five girls began yelling, at first in mock concern, then with greater insistence. From the audience, it legitimately looked like the entire cast had forgotten to stop the playful frolicking and return to acting. Either that or it was the finest and most genuine bit of acting yet on display.

At last Daya got visibly fed up and launched one of her little boulders toward something off-stage that made a loud crashing sound, freezing everyone in surprise. The audience giggled.

"There are too many of you now," Sero appeared from one side. "You are too eager with your powers and too incautious. I, Sero, Chief and leader, decree that you must part according to the element with which you have been gifted so you might learn better control." He marched away regally.

"We must take our people and teach them the arts of bending," Aidu said as the five girls gathered near the edge of the stage.

"But where will we go?" Tiata asked.

"Somewhere with lots of room to bend!" Ketto cheered.

"I think," La Jin spoke up then, her gentle voice adapting some greater strength, "there is more to learn about your elements than you realize. All of you have control, but not skill." She pointed outward. "Look around. Tiata, you do not fly like the birds. Ketto, you do not swim like the fish. There is much the world can teach you about your elements if you only find those who already know it so well."

Sero strode out to join them. "You speak wisely, my child. Each element has a companion who already bends it skillfully. I, Chief and leader of our people, command you to take those in your own elements out into the world to find these companions and study them."

:: _How could he possibly know that?_ :: Wufei wanted to know.

:: _He didn't,_ :: Quatre shook his head. :: _I don't even remember a person like that in my version. But the lionturtle did explain to the girls about the original elemental benders in the world._ ::

:: _Anybody get the feeling that Sero wrote his own part in this story?_ :: Heero asked.

Trowa gulped to keep a laugh from breaking out. :: _You're probably right, you know._ ::

:: _I know._ ::

"Then let us set out!" Daya commanded. "All earthbenders, follow me! We shall go to the east!"

"Waterbenders, come with me," Ketto danced over to a group all shaking a big blue blanket together. "Let's go north!"

"Airbenders," Tiata called, "come with me. We will begin by going south, but I believe we will wander also."

:: _Way to be decisive,_ :: Duo elbowed Trowa.

"Firebenders! Our destiny lies in the west!" Aidu posed dramatically. Wufei actually winced.

The scene shifted with Aidu's group in the center. The background moved to show them in more definitively Fire Nation lands while the village huts were pulled away as the other groups left the stage. After a moment, a beautiful red dragon that probably took five people to operate between the complicated face and the undulating body appeared.

"Why have you come to my island?" the dragon asked.

"Oh great dragon!" Aidu bowed elaborately. "You are the true teacher of firebending! Please teach us your ways that we might be great and powerful firebenders too!"

The dragon danced around the group a bit and soon they began to move with it. Before long, the entire stage was filled with an imitation of the "Dancing Dragon" firebending form. And it was fairly accurate, if not well portrayed with ribbons instead of actual flame.

"Yes," the dragon said. "I will teach you. Come with me."

They left the stage in the dragon's wake, the scene behind them shifting to a mountaintop. Tiata appeared with another group of villagers.

:: _No, those are the same people!_ :: Heero argued. :: _They were just firebenders!:_ :

:: _Limited cast,_ :: Trowa shrugged.

"Let us wait here in the wind for enlightenment," Triata said with extremely profound and deep meaning.

They stood around for a moment before a creature appeared. It was white and fuzzy.

:: _No!_ :: That was Trowa and he was as indignant as any had seen him. :: _No, you can't just put a white sheet over the dragon and make it a sky bison! Look! They didn't even adjust the people inside! No sky bison has ten feet!_ ::

Duo couldn't help it – he laughed aloud, earning a few angry looks sent in the direction of the Avatar box.

"I am a sky bison," it intoned. "I will teach you to soar if you can let go of the ground."

"Sounds good," Tiata shrugged. She and her group began to copy the bison's motions, resolving into a basic airbending series. However, from the groan that escaped Trowa, it wasn't nearly as skillful.

:: _I'm going to find their choreographer and set him straight before anyone else sees this!_ :: he threatened.

The troupe flitted off to the side leaving Ketto to appear with, again, the same group of villagers – at least this time they had thrown heavy coats over their costumes, but within moments every one of them was bright red in the face from the heat. The scene behind them reflected an icy landscape.

"Well, we're about as far north as you can go before you start going south!" Ketto bounced. "I guess we should learn something about waterbending, huh? I wonder. Does anything live up here? I just wanted to see the north pole – I guess I forgot about finding a waterbending teacher!"

Duo's head crashed into his hands. :: _Cattie, tell me that isn't –_ ::

:: _It's not,_ :: Quatre was quick to soothe him. :: _I have no explanation for this part._ ::

"Oh, hey! Look! The moon! It, you know, kinda pushes the waves. We should do that," Ketto declared. She began something that was probably supposed to be a waterbending form, but it looked more like a stationary plowing motion. The others copied her for a while. Then they seemed to get tired of being in the coats, because they didn't really have a good reason to exit – they just left.

:: _You were all right,_ :: Duo sent miserably. :: _Seeing this show was a terrible idea._ ::

The scene changed a little hurriedly to a green forest. Moments later, Daya appeared with the group, some still taking their coats off and throwing them off-stage at the last possible moment.

"We must find a teacher of earthbending," Daya stated. She stood still, then walked in a circle, then stood still again. "I don't see one."

"That's your problem right there!" came a cheerful voice.

Heero actually groaned and started to rise to leave, but Trowa caught his arm and pushed him back into his chair.

Onto the stage waddled a man in a suit that was at least as big around as he was tall. It was a costume meant to resemble a badger-mole, but only if that badger-mole was intentionally made to look as dopey as possible. Its too-big teeth went every which way, its claws had been mysteriously colored in a garish orange color, and the eyes of the costume, perched high above the human actor's head clearly peeking out the mouth, seemed to have been made very large and cross-eyed.

"You can't really learn earthbending with your eyes. You must feel it in your body!" the badger-mole enjoined them brightly with a full laugh.

"Okay," Daya said. She began imitating the laugh, her tiny stomach bouncing somewhat less convincingly. The other villagers tried the laugh, too. Somehow this led to them moving into a horse stance and juggling false rocks.

"Now you're getting it!" the badger-mole cheered.

:: _Is it over yet?_ :: Heero asked almost pleadingly.

:: _Yes,_ :: Wufei told him with some sympathy. :: _They're leaving._ ::

The scene didn't change, but La Jin walked out alone. She looked forlornly out into the audience. "All my friends are gone. I suppose I must remain behind to safeguard the rest of our people. I hope my friends come back soon!"

The curtain fell, ending the second act.

"Well, uh," Quatre cleared his throat. "That was...um."

"Inane?" Wufei offered.

"Embarrassing," Heero said in a low growl.

"Totally unfair!" Duo declared.

"And highly inaccurate," Trowa finished.

"Well," Quatre said slowly, "in part, yes."

"Which part did they get _right_?" Heero wanted to know.

"The girls did go and find the original benders, and they did leave La Jin alone with the non-benders to take care of their homeland. And they did learn true bending from the original source that way."

"What did they leave out?" Wufei wanted to know.

"Well, there was a whole argument about which people should get the right to try to learn bending at all," Quatre answered. "Some wanted it reserved for the wealthy, or those in power. Some thought only men should learn bending. There were years of arguments. Every year, La Jin would create new benders and send them to join the others, and every year she had to fight to ensure that anyone who came to her with the potential to bend was given both the energy-work to make it happen and the opportunity to study their new-found abilities. It was something of a revolutionary idea that women or the poor or the despised in society could all be equal in this one pursuit."

"Is that all La Jin did? Make more benders?" Trowa wanted to know.

"No," Quatre shook his head. "She developed the rest of her natural Spirit-Touched abilities, namely dealing with the Spirit World. That was what Spirit-Touched were for originally, after all. But she also learned during the years she was alone that most energybenders would disrupt the Spirit World unintentionally with no ability to fix it. That was part of why she was so ardent about turning every single potential energybender into an elemental bender – it was safer for everyone to leave upsetting the spirits to her."

"Is that why there aren't any energybenders around now but you, Cat?" Duo asked.

"That's part of it," Quatre acknowledged. "But some of it is to do with how bending gets passed down. You know it's uneven, right?"

"Yes," Heero nodded. "If an earthbender or a firebender has two children, likely one will be a bender, but not both. If a waterbender has two children, often neither will be a waterbender, but a grandchild will inherit the ability. It's the airbenders who virtually always breed true."

"Right," Quatre nodded. "Well, energybending is the opposite of airbending. I don't think it was rare before, but it is now – probably because our ancestors were largely made elemental benders instead, so these days energybending will only show up every few generations in the same family if at all."

"Then how did those girls come to exist at the same time?" Wufei asked. "Statistically, it should have been very unlikely."

"I don't know," Quatre shrugged. "The closest I can tell you is that it worked out for them because it _needed_ to. Because without them, we wouldn't have an Avatar."

As he said that, the lights flickered and they prepared for the final act.

The Narrator appeared in the center of the stage, again only illuminated by a single candle in the darkness.

"Many years passed. The four benders returned to their native land every few years to reconnect with one another and share what they had learned. But with each decade, their peoples began to grow farther and farther apart from the village that had once been their home. Those who possessed the gift of bending began to take on the aspects of the lessons they had learned over time."

The curtain rose on the small village, La Jin standing alone to one side. She looked much the same, but her hair had been braided more elaborately and had begun to whiten with age. She also wore robes that were white and silver in color and denoted age and authority.

The other four girls arrived on the scene. Each now wore the colors and basic styles of the nations their bending would come to represent, and they, too, were shown to have aged. They greeted one another solemnly.

"It has been ten years since our last visit," Daya stated as she stretched a hand to La Jin in friendship.

"And fifty since first we left our village," Ketto said with less bounce than previously.

"It is not our village anymore," Tiata said softly. "We belong now to our own villages and to our studies."

"There is no reason we cannot claim both," Aidu tossed her head. "My people have learned from the pride of the dragons that our way of life is the superior one. We have come to take the rest of our people home."

"It is my people who have come to take the village back with them," Daya shook her head. "We live in peace with the land and can take care of them. Already we are building a vast city where they can live."

"We need the people," Ketto argued. "Our way of life at the north pole is difficult and we need more hands to ensure we survive."

"All of you have lost your way," Tiata admonished. "The truest purpose of our path is to study, to let these worldly concerns fade away and seek enlightenment. We come to offer such wisdom to our village."

"You have forgotten everything!" La Jin said with passion. "We are one people, not four! You who can bend the elements do not have the right to decide for others how to live!"

"It is too late for that," Daya said. "Our people are already here."

Suddenly the stage was swarmed with villagers, four groups who were in about even numbers between them, wearing the four cardinal colors of the nations. At very little provocation, they began to fight amongst themselves, creating a chaotic melee of staged bending.

:: _Did that really happen, Quatre?_ :: Heero wanted to know.

:: _Yes,_ :: Quatre answered with sadness. :: _Yes, it did. For three years, the four bending peoples made war over the non-benders like a prized possession._ ::

The four girls watched the battle with growing horror. As the benders fought, the villagers appeared, pleading for peace. More than one villager was struck down in the violence that seemed to only get worse as the moments passed.

"This is wrong. We should not be fighting each other," Tiata said with deep sorrow as a small child ran in the path of an earthbender and was struck with a rock, bringing her to the ground.

"Where is Sero?" Daya asked. "Let him speak for his people."

But just then Sero appeared amidst the battle, staggering with a red cloth against his chest showing that he had been wounded. At the very edge of the stage, he died a slow, painful, _noisy_ death.

"Now we have no leader!" La Jin said angrily. "How will we ever achieve peace now?"

"Let's stop the fighting," Ketto agreed. "The villagers can choose someone to decide what happens next."

The four girls marched into the middle of the fight, their own bending much grander and their streamers of simulated elements much bigger. After a few energetic moments, the battle stopped. The four bending groups separated and huddled together and the villagers gathered in the center of the stage.

"We fight over you because we all wish you to join us on the paths we have set for ourselves," Aidu said to them. "Because Sero has died, you must choose a new leader who will evaluate the four of us and determine which of us will bring you home."

Simultaneously, every single villager pointed to La Jin. She stared at them in unbelieving surprise.

"Me?" she asked.

They all nodded.

"So what is your decision?" Daya asked. "You know us, you know our bending and our people. Where should the village go?"

La Jin planted her feet and faced her four friends. "Nowhere! The villagers are their own peoples. They should be free to decide where to live and which path to walk. We are all one people, so it doesn't matter who they follow because we will always be together."

The villagers began to cheer. Then they broke up and began to join the small knots of benders, a few remaining in place and starting to set to rights everything that had been knocked over or upturned in the fight.

:: _That's actually what happened, not in so many words, but pretty close,_ :: Quatre sent. :: _The non-bending peoples elected La Jin to guide them, and she, in turn, gave them the choice to follow any of the bending nations or stay in their hereditary lands as they wished._ ::

As all the people began to exit, many of them taking props with them to clear the stage, the Narrator moved to her place in the center.

"The peace lasted for another ten years and Daya, Ketto, Tiata, and Aidu stepped down from their positions to allow others to lead. But these others had not learned the lessons of the past and instead sought to make war upon those who were their brothers and sisters."

The stage went completely dark. Then five lanterns were lit, each held by one of the five girls as they moved furtively across the empty stage.

"Are we all here?" Aidu called in a loud whisper.

"I'm here," Ketto whispered.

"Me too," La Jin said.

"And I," Tiata answered.

"And we are alone," Daya finished.

The lights came up somewhat. To the shock of the audience, the backdrop no longer showed the peaceful woodland scene that had been the norm for most of the performance. Instead, it was a vast landscape of a battlefield, with ruined homes and lands artfully displayed in detailed, bright swaths.

"We have failed," Aidu said miserably. "Our peoples are making war."

"We aren't one people anymore," Tiata said, shaking her head. "We have become too different."

"Even worse, _some_ of us aren't as popular as others," Ketto's anger was clear, "and so we have no hope that we can protect ourselves for long."

"And not one of us is strong enough to force our own people to listen anymore," Daya admitted coldly. "We taught our benders all we know. We are not powerful enough to keep balance now."

"What about you, La Jin?" Tiata asked.

"My people still follow me," she said, "but yours won't because I'm not a bender. I would keep the balance if I could, but I have no power at all."

There was a sudden outburst of shouting and the scene was rushed by benders throwing their elements at one another and fighting viciously. A full battle erupted, the girls attempting to defend themselves and La Jin, but ultimately they were overwhelmed. They vanished beneath a pile of screaming warriors who hooted with victory when they finally dispersed. The five girls were all crouched on the stage, crawling to its edge while they trailed long streamers of bright blood.

"It's over," Daya said. "Now we will die and our people will die with us."

"We never should have separated. It was easier to keep the balance when we all lived together." Ketto coughed wetly.

"We have failed to understand the true nature of bending," Tiata sprawled at the edge of the stage, one arm hanging off limply.

"And now we die without honor as the world burns," Aidu flopped dramatically.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" La Jin demanded. She stood up, hobbling badly, and flung her arms out. "Perhaps the five of us alone are not strong enough to endure, but there must be a way of summoning an even greater power that could protect the world and its people against the foolishness and ambition of the few who bring ruin to us all!"

A white light shone down from above, illuminating La Jin and making her seem to sparkle.

"I will not live to see it," Tiata said, standing up and another light shining on her, "but I would give my bending to you if you think you can save my people with it."

"My own flame is dying," Aidu lurched to her feet with a wild wobble as another light fell on her, "but I give what is left of it to you so you might stand equal to my people as well."

"I can heal your wounds, but not my own," Ketto stood slowly, a fourth white light directed at her, "so I give you my healing and anything else I can so you can carry on with my people."

"Take my power as well," Daya climbed to a standing position as a fifth white light appeared, "and use it so you never run out of strength."

La Jin stretched out her hands to link with the others and they formed a line across the front of the stage, the five white lights getting brighter and brighter. Her voice, when she spoke next, sounded quite different.

"If I take your powers into myself, I will bend not four elements, but five. And with these five, I will be able to maintain balance among all the peoples, benders and non-benders alike. But if I take them from you, you will disappear into the Spirit World. You can't die because your powers will be with me, but you won't be alive either. And when I die, I will join you and our spirits will merge just as our powers will merge. Can you really give your lives to the future this way?"

"Yes," Daya, Ketto, Tiata, and Aidu said. "We give our lives and our bending to you. Become the Avatar of all bending, all balance, all peace, and guard our world with our strength."

The white lights grew blinding, until no one could see the stage clearly anymore. When they slowly dimmed, the five girls had vanished. In their place stood the Narrator.

"I am the Avatar," she said. All the people – benders and villagers – began to slowly walk onto the stage, staring in open-faced awe. They merged together into a crowd, heedless of the fact that they were shoulder-to-shoulder with their previous enemies.

"It is my duty to serve and protect this world by maintaining balance between the elements, the peoples, the nations. I possess the power of all the elements and the spirits. I will now help restore that which you have tried to destroy."

She began to move her arms and another white light fell upon her, picking up accents in her hair and clothing that glowed against the darkness. She rose into the air, glowing, her arms out wide and her sleeves flowing like wings. The vivid background behind her was engulfed in white flames. When they receded, the scene was again tranquil and whole. The people stared at it, then looked back to the Avatar, who was returning to the stage. They knelt before her.

The Avatar looked out into the audience. "I am five made one. I am many spirits, many powers. But I am only one desire, and that is peace. I will stand with you for all time, reborn in a cycle of the four elements to ensure I may always be a part of all the peoples of this world. But for now, my time has come."

The lights began to dim as the Avatar slowly sank to the ground. Just as she slid completely and the last bit of shining white light disappeared, there was the sound of a baby's cry. The people still kneeling spoke together.

"And so the cycle begins."

The curtain fell.

The audience began to clap, slowly at first, then with greater passion. After a few moments, the curtain rose and the actors emerged one at a time to be acknowledged. But up in the Gundam booth, there was a still quiet.

"Quatre?" Duo asked gently. He was surprised to see a tear on Quatre's pale cheek. "Are you okay?"

Heero reached out in a rare gesture of affection and gripped Quatre's shoulder. "Is that what happened?"

"Yes," Quatre said softly. "La Jin was left alive after the other four helped her to use her energybending to pour their spirits into her, but she was never the same. She became the first Avatar for a short time, long enough to stop the battle and restore the peace between the nations. She lived only a few years, though, before the strain of it brought about her death. When she died, her spirit fused with the four who had been waiting for her, and they together became the next Avatar."

"Just like us," Wufei said softly. "Five individuals united as one, literally."

"It's why it was possible for us to exist at all," Trowa commented. "Because we were five once before, it was possible for us to return to being five when Avatar Yuy was killed."

"Cat?" Duo nudged his friend before putting an arm over his shoulders. "Why are you so sad? I can feel it," he said, rubbing his chest.

"It's just...I can remember it," he said. "Not like you remember things, but like you remember a dream, maybe. I remember La Jin's pain as her friends died to give her a chance to save their people. She was so proud of them, and yet it hurt so much."

"She was a brave, honorable, woman," Heero said.

"They all were," Wufei agreed. "We too are willing to die for the sake of this world. It is our legacy and we will strive to be worthy of it."

"And our future," Quatre said almost so quietly he couldn't be heard. But they were one, and what Quatre's voice didn't carry, his soul did. :: _To revive the true Avatar, we too will die together someday._ ::

The five of them rose to make their way out of the theater in a solemn silence, the echo of that ancient ache rippling through them all.


End file.
